Well, this game should be pretty straightforward, shouldn’t it?
After all we beat them on their own patch less than a fortnight ago, so it just makes sense.
Except it just doesn’t work like that with the Villa, as we know all too well.
Just as I said the last time we played them, they’re fighting for their lives so will give us no quarter.
The good news is we shown we can equal anything they care to dish out.
Squad news and the main one is that Ezri Konsa is out for twelve to sixteen weeks. As the manager pointed out, it’s not the worst time to have this sort of injury, but it will still mean the stalwart defender will miss the pre-season.
There’s no way we’ll be selling him in the window.
Emi Martinez has a “small issue” but he’s expected to be okay.
Otherwise, it’s as we were, with Hause and Bailey still out.
As for Burnley, Ben Mee and James Tarkowski are possible players but Matej Vydra, Ashley Westwood and Johann Berg Gudmundsson are all set to miss out with fitness issues.
Thoughts then and while this ought to be, not easy, but a definite win, I won’t be having a bet on the game. I just always have a nagging doubt that we’ll do something stupid and throw it away.
To be fair, it was pointed out on this site that we’ve won the vast majority of games we’ve been expected to win. I checked this for myself, as it just didn’t seem like it, but it is indeed true.
So it would seem my doubt is very much misplaced and I can predict the result with a bit more confidence.
So a Villa win it is.
I’ll go 2-1
UTV!
